Introduction
To add extra emphasis to the imperfect tense in Arabic, the prefix لَ is used along with نّ (Noon Thaqeela) or نْ (Noon Khafeefa) as a suffix. This linguistic structure expresses strong emphasis or certainty.
Table with نْ — Noon Khafeefa
3rd Person Masculine
| Form | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | لَيَفْعَلَنْ | Indeed he will surely do |
| Dual | لَيَفْعَلَانِّ | Indeed they both will surely do |
| Plural | لَيَفْعَلُنْ | Indeed they all will surely do |
3rd Person Feminine
| Form | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | لَتَفْعَلَنْ | Indeed she will surely do |
| Dual | لَتَفْعَلَانِّ | Indeed they both will surely do |
| Plural | لَيَفْعَلْنَانَّ | Indeed they all will surely do |
2nd Person Masculine
| Form | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | لَتَفْعَلَنْ | Indeed you will surely do |
| Dual | لَتَفْعَلَانِّ | Indeed you both will surely do |
| Plural | لَتَفْعَلُنْ | Indeed you all will surely do |
2nd Person Feminine
| Form | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | لَتَفْعَلِنْ | Indeed you (fem.) will surely do |
| Dual | لَتَفْعَلَانِّ | Indeed you both (fem.) will surely do |
| Plural | لَتَفْعَلْنَانِّ | Indeed you all (fem.) will surely do |
1st Person (Masculine & Feminine)
| Form | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | لَأَفْعَلَنْ | Indeed I will surely do |
| Plural | لَنَفْعَلَنْ | Indeed we will surely do |
Double Emphasis in Arabic — نُونُ التَّوْكِيد and لَامُ التَّوْكِيد
Both نّ (Noon Thaqeela) and لَ (Lam Attakeed) can also be attached to the imperative and passive forms of verbs.
وَلَئِن لَّمْ يَفْعَلْ مَا آمُرُهُ لَيُسْجَنَنَّ وَلَيَكُونًا مِّنَ الصَّاغِرِينَ
And if he does not do what I order him, he will surely be imprisoned and will be among those humiliated. (12:32)
Emphasizing Verb Forms — نّ and لام التوكيد
The Noon Thaqeela (نّ) and Lam Attakeed (لَ) are powerful grammatical tools used to emphasize the certainty of an action.
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ
O Children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you. (7:27)
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ إِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِي
O Children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you reciting My verses to you. (7:35)
Emphasizing Nouns, Pronouns, and Prepositions with لام التوكيد
Lam Attakeed (لام التوكيد) can also emphasize nouns, pronouns, and prepositions.
وَإِن تَعْجَبْ فَعَجَبٌ قَوْلُهُمْ أَإِذَا كُنَّا تُرَابًا أَإِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ
And if you are astonished, then astonishing is their saying: “When we are dust, will we indeed be in a new creation?” (13:5)
إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ
Indeed, mankind is in loss. (103:2)
وَمَن جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ
And whoever strives only strives for himself. Indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds. (29:6)
لَأُعَذِّبَنَّهُ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا أَوْ لَأَذْبَحَنَّهُ أَوْ لَيَأْتِيَنِّي بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ
I will surely punish him severely or slaughter him unless he brings me clear proof. (27:21)
وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways. Indeed, Allah is with the doers of good. (29:69)
Conclusion
This lesson on Arabic emphasis concludes here. In the next lesson, we will study the active participle in Arabic.
Al-dirassa Institute invites you to continue your Arabic journey with our qualified teachers. For further inquiries, please contact us.
Book your free trial of 30 minutes
Registration form
No Comments
No comments yet.